


love until we burn up

by fortunati



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Rise of Kyoshi
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gratuitous Use of Cut Scenes, It's All ImpliedTM, Kissing, Mild Spoilers, No Smut, Post-Rise of Kyoshi, Rangi Is So Beautiful She Makes Kyoshi Nonverbal, The Avatar Is Autistic, Undressing, gratuitous kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 09:21:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20094958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunati/pseuds/fortunati
Summary: Seven months since Rangi said goodbye to Kyoshi, an uncountable number of letters sent from the air temple to the South Pole, too many days since Kyoshi kissed Rangi last, and a sky bison brings a pair of firebenders right to Kyoshi's doorstep.(title from hayley kiyoko because this is gay)





	love until we burn up

**Author's Note:**

> im ashamed that this is the first kyoshi/rangi, that i'm aware of anyway. step up your game, people

The Fire Nation messenger hawk circled the peak twice before diving, talons extended to grasp Kyoshi’s outstretched arm, properly protected by the heavy duty glove Rangi had advised getting in her first letter. Mushu was always heavier than Kyoshi expected, every time, as he shuffled further up Kyoshi’s arm, cawing contentedly when she offered him a bit of dried meat (a commodity, considering she was staying at an Airbender Temple), and took the letter from his carrier.

All it said was,  _ Look up _ .

Grinning, Kyoshi tipped her head back, scanning the skies for the sky bison bearing Rangi, Hei-Ran, and Dezhi, the airbender sent to fly the two firebenders up to the temple. There! Little more than a cloud shape, growing in size as the bison flew not thirty feet over Kyoshi’s head to land in the stables. Kyoshi turned and raced back towards the housing, skidding to a stop when she spotted Rangi and Dezhi helping Hei-Ran down. At least she was moving!

Hei-Ran was still looking weak and pale, but she was awake, and moving, and Kyoshi felt a wave of relief wash over her, for more than Rangi’s sake. Kyoshi took a half step forward. Rangi would want to get her mother settled. Maybe she shouldn’t go up to them yet. She was just about to turn around when Rangi looked up and caught her eye.

Kyoshi straightened her shoulders. Guess it’d be rude to walk away now. Trying to calm her jumping nerves, Kyoshi walked over to the two firebenders, bowing with the traditional Fire Nation hand placement as she did.

“It’s good to see you both,” she said in greeting, and Hei-Ran and Rangi bowed back. “I’m glad to see you on your feet.”

“Thank you,” Hei-Ran said, not quite meeting Kyoshi’s eyes, which she didn’t blame her for. “It’s good to be back on my feet.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Rangi said softly, and Kyoshi finally got a good look at her. She was wearing her traditional armor, no surprise, and her topknot was safely secured on her head. Kyoshi couldn’t imagine the relief Rangi felt when she could finally put her hair up. 

“Oh, please,” Kyoshi said, stepping back. “I don’t want to keep you.”

As Hei-Ran and Rangi passed, following Dezhi to guest rooms, Rangi caught Kyoshi’s hand and squeezed.

“I’ll come find you,” she said, and then she was gone.

The door creaked open. Somewhere between Rangi arriving and Rangi helping set her mother up in her own room, the sun had nearly set, creating a warm twilight in Kyoshi’s room, that felt like neither day nor night - a place devoid of time. Kyoshi looked up and her breath caught in her throat. 

Rangi stood poised in the doorway, looking almost unlike herself. It didn’t occur to Kyoshi how Rangi was almost always in armor all the time she had known her. Now, Rangi was wearing the casual wear of her civilian countrymen, a loose outer shirt tied around her waist, comfortable pants tucked into her boots, and most of all - Rangi’s hair was completely loose. Her topknot from earlier was gone. The last dregs of light was cast across her cheekbones.

It was a good thing Kyoshi was already sitting.

“May I come in?” Rangi’s voice held a measure of hesitation, something Kyoshi wasn’t used to hearing from the firebender. Kyoshi couldn’t find the words to speak, and nodded. 

Rangi entered her room the rest of the way, shutting the door behind her and stepping further in, the only sound in the room their quiet breathing and the near silent scuff of Rangi’s shoes on the stone floor. She came to a stop just feet in front of Kyoshi. Rangi was close enough that Kyoshi had to tilt her head back to look her in the eyes. 

Rangi’s lips parted like she was going to say something, and then she didn’t. Kyoshi managed to fill the silence.

“How’s your mother?”

Something like a smile flashed across Rangi’s face to quickly to catch in the dying light.

“Resting. The lift up on the bison did her good, I think. And I’m glad we went down. She’s doing much better, but she’s still not herself.”

A sympathetic noise made itself known from the back of Kyoshi’s throat, and she found herself leaning towards Rangi.

“And you?”

This time, the smile stayed. The dying light cast Rangi’s face aglow, a beatific picture of everything Kyoshi loved in life, and Rangi eased forward again, and into Kyoshi’s lap. She settled a hand on the crook of her neck, two fingers accidentally slipping under the loose collar of Kyoshi’s acolyte robes, and Kyoshi nearly forgot to breathe right there.

“I missed you,” Rangi said like a revelation, her hair falling over her shoulder and blocking the outside world out of this golden, out-of-time bubble created when Rangi stepped foot in Kyoshi’s room. Kyoshi’s hands went to Rangi’s hips without her permission, magnets drawn together, and Rangi’s smile grew as she settled her other hand on Kyoshi’s neck, fingers sliding under the collar less accidentally this time. Rangi’s head dipped, just barely, and her gaze dropped from Kyoshi’s eyes, to her mouth, and back up. Kyoshi felt something in her ache, the kind of ache she felt when reading Rangi’s letters, or the ache she felt when she remembered the feel of being hand in hand, or the ache when she thought of kissing Rangi as she fell asleep at night, and it was almost unbearable.

“ _ Kiss me, _ ” she whispered, asked,  _ begged. _ She was willing to say please, seconds away before Rangi descended and pressed her lips to Kyoshi’s.

Kyoshi prided herself as a person who did not bend and a person who was not pliable, and stood by her ideals.

One kiss from Rangi, and she would do anything for another. One kiss from Rangi, and she turned into  _ putty  _ in Rangi’s hands. She’d thought, once, during the months separated, that maybe it was a good idea to be away from each other. The Avatar was supposed to be above all nations, tied to no one culture, and being in  _ love  _ with someone gave her enemies leverage. It was bad for whoever she loved, bad for her, and bad for the world at large.

But to face the possibility of turning Rangi away after  _ this kiss?  _ Kyoshi would rather fling herself off the nearest cliff than never kiss Rangi again. Kyoshi clutched helplessly at Rangi’s hips, couldn’t stop the helpless noise that bleed out of her mouth, floundered helplessly when faced with that beautiful smile, and gasped when Rangi tucked her whole hand under Kyoshi’s collar and wrapped her fingers around the back of her neck.

A giggle vibrated against Kyoshi mouth - Rangi was laughing as she pulled Kyoshi’s hair undone and caressed her neck again, kissing her again and again.  _ Please. _

Rangi pulled away and Kyoshi made a noise of protest, trying to follow, but then Rangi started speaking.

“Please what?” she asked, genuinely curious. Had she said that out loud? Kyoshi couldn’t find the words. All she seemed to be able to do was stare up at Rangi in awe and wonder. Rangi still had her fingers wrapped around Kyoshi’s neck, apparently the only thing holding Kyoshi up. 

“Just- please,” Kyoshi said, after a long moment. “Please,” she said again, reaching for Rangi’s face to pull her back down.

“Easy,” Rangi murmured, allowing Kyoshi to draw her closer. “Hey, look at me.”

Kyoshi couldn’t look away.

“We have all the time in the world, Kyoshi.”

Maybe. But it didn’t excuse the rush inside Kyoshi to be as close to Rangi as possible, before she left, or was taken away. It didn’t stop her from reaching for the tie at Rangi’s waist, the knot slipping undone with a gentle tug. It practically fell off her shoulders, and then off came the tighter undershirt. Rangi pulled away, but before Kyoshi could worry, she bent and pulled off her boots, stepping back into the vee of Kyoshi’s legs, and pulled Kyoshi’s hands back to her hips. And then Rangi was only in her wrappings, and then Rangi wasn’t in those either, and Kyoshi couldn’t breathe.

“All the time in the world,” Rangi breathed, again, and pushed Kyoshi gently onto her back.

Kyoshi barely lived the night.

When Kyoshi woke, the sun had barely risen, and it was twilight in her room. Rangi was pressed against her, face tucked into Kyoshi’s neck, still asleep, breathing easy. Kyoshi had slept better than she had in a long time, curled around Rangi. The only difference between now and the other times was that now, Kyoshi could skim her hands the length of Rangi’s spine without clothes getting in the way. Smooth, unmarred skin of her back, bare to Kyoshi’s eyes and hands. 

Rangi was so beautiful - she could barely breathe. 

Rangi stirred, her breathing hitched, and she started to stretch, arching her back and sighing, before settling against Kyoshi again. When she spoke, her voice was rough from sleep.

“Have a nice night?” she asked, and Kyoshi could feel her smile pressed against her skin.

“The best. You?”

Rangi curled her hand around Kysohi’s waist and pressed a kiss to the skin of her throat.

“The same.”

Kyoshi turned onto her side, rolling Rangi with her, arms tightly around her waist, so she could look Rangi in the eyes. Rangi smiled, sleep still touching the corners of her eyes.

“Good morning.”

“I never want it to end,” Kyoshi said, more serious than she meant. Rangi’s smile turned gentle, and she scraped her fingers lightly across the back of Kyoshi’s neck.

“I know. Me either.”


End file.
